Negan made a statement in The Walking Dead Season 6 finale when he bashed in the skulls of Glenn and Abraham. But let’s be real—the only reason why you like Rick is because he’s the monster you know.
Yes, Negan is a tyrant. He rules with fear because he believes it’s the only way people will survive. Rick had the same epiphany when he went all Ricktatorship on everyone when the group left the farm for the prison in The Walking Dead Season 3. If Negan wanted everyone dead, he would’ve lined them up one by one and put a bullet in their heads.
What Negan and Rick both understand is they need people to survive. You can’t cover as much ground by yourself like you can when you have a group of followers. You need people to grow crops, to protect your shelter, to care for you when you’re sick, etc. And yet, Rick is a savior and Negan is evil. And it doesn’t make any sense. Rick is only a “good” guy because we know his intentions, but he’s also done horrible things to people in the name of survival—he agreed to kill Negan’s people in their sleep for food, supplies and a promise of safety. Negan kills people for the the same reasons.
Negan and Rick also have strong moral codes. Rick banishes people who don’t follow the rules, like he did to Carol at the prison, once upon a time. Carol killed the sick people in the prison to keep the illness from spreading. Rick had to let her go because she was too dangerous to be around people. Negan punishes people who don’t follow the rules by branding them with a hot iron. Both are cruel punishments.
And now Rick has attacked Negan yet again. It’s a justified attack since there was no way Negan would let go of his reign. Rick was able to align himself with two other communities, but he did something cruel to a third community. He rolled up on Oceanside to steal weapons and ammunition. He didn’t strike a deal with the community; he forced their hand.
So you may find it difficult to root for Rick. And that’s OK. Rick is cruel in his own ways and can show no mercy when it comes to defending his own. Remember, we saw him lose his mind when they first got to Alexandria. Rick arrived to Alexandria and he immediately plotted on taking it. The people who live in that community had done nothing to him, but he was ready to take over the place.
In fact, the only “good” people to root for might be Ezekiel and Maggie. They don’t rule by fear. They rule by faith, which is why their people are loyal. No one is trying to kick Ezekiel off of his throne. And when it came time for it, Jesus and the Hilltop community pledged their allegiance to Maggie. But they’ve also done cruel things to protect their own. That’s the beauty of The Walking Dead universe. The morality in the show is many shades of grey.
Where does your allegiance lie? Do you really think Negan is a worse leader than Rick? Let us know in the comments below. The Walking Dead Season 8 airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on AMC.
